English Standard Version ESV
The Message Bible MSG
1 Now the people of Reuben and the people of Gad had a very great number of livestock. And they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place for livestock.
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The families of Reuben and Gad had huge herds of livestock. They saw that the country of Jazer and Gilead was just the place for grazing livestock.
2 So the people of Gad and the people of Reuben came and said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the chiefs of the congregation,
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And so they came, the families of Gad and of Reuben, and spoke to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the congregation, saying,
3 "Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon,
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"Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon
4 the land that the LORD struck down before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock."
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- the country that God laid low before the community of Israel - is a country just right for livestock, and we have livestock."
5 And they said, "If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession. Do not take us across the Jordan."
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They continued, "If you think we've done a good job so far, give us this country for our inheritance. Don't make us go across the Jordan."
6 But Moses said to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben, "Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here?
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Moses answered the families of Gad and Reuben: "Do you mean that you are going to leave the fighting that's ahead to your brothers while you settle down here?
7 Why will you discourage the heart of the people of Israel from going over into the land that the LORD has given them?
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Why would you even think of letting the People of Israel down, demoralizing them just as they're about to move into the land God gave them?
8 Your fathers did this, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.
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That's exactly what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to survey the country.
9 For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the people of Israel from going into the land that the LORD had given them.
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They went as far as the Valley of Eshcol, took one look and quit. They completely demoralized the People of Israel from entering the land God had given them.
10 And the LORD's anger was kindled on that day, and he swore, saying,
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And God got angry - oh, did he get angry! He swore:
11 'Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed me,
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'They'll never get to see it; none of those who came up out of Egypt who are twenty years and older will ever get to see the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They weren't interested in following me - their hearts weren't in it.
12 none except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the LORD.'
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None, except for Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua son of Nun; they followed me - their hearts were in it.'
13 And the LORD's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was gone.
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"God's anger smoked against Israel. He made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until that entire generation that acted out evil in his sight had died out.
14 And behold, you have risen in your fathers' place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the LORD against Israel!
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"And now here you are, just one more mob of sinners stepping up to replace your ancestors, throwing fuel on the already blazing anger of God against Israel.
15 For if you turn away from following him, he will again abandon them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all this people."
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If you won't follow him, he'll do it again. He'll dump them in the desert and the disaster will be all your fault."
16 Then they came near to him and said, "We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones,
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They came close to him and said, "All we want to do is build corrals for our livestock and towns for our families.
17 but we will take up arms, ready to go before the people of Israel, until we have brought them to their place. And our little ones shall live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.
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Then we'll take up arms and take the front lines, leading the People of Israel to their place. We'll be able to leave our families behind, secure in fortified towns, safe from those who live in the land.
18 We will not return to our homes until each of the people of Israel has gained his inheritance.
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But we won't go back home until every Israelite is in full possession of his inheritance.
19 For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan to the east."
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We won't expect any inheritance west of the Jordan; we are claiming all our inheritance east of the Jordan."
20 So Moses said to them, "If you will do this, if you will take up arms to go before the LORD for the war,
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Moses said, "If you do what you say, take up arms before God for battle
21 and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the LORD, until he has driven out his enemies from before him
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and together go across the Jordan ready, before God, to fight until God has cleaned his enemies out of the land,
22 and the land is subdued before the LORD; then after that you shall return and be free of obligation to the LORD and to Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the LORD.
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then when the land is secure you will have fulfilled your duty to God and Israel. Then this land will be yours to keep before God.
23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out.
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"But if you don't do what you say, you will be sinning against God; you can be sure that your sin will track you down.
24 Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what you have promised."
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So, go ahead. Build towns for your families and corrals for you livestock. Do what you said you'd do."
25 And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben said to Moses, "Your servants will do as my lord commands.
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The families of Gad and Reuben told Moses: "We will do as our master commands.
26 Our little ones, our wives, our livestock, and all our cattle shall remain there in the cities of Gilead,
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Our children and wives, our flocks and herds will stay behind here in the towns of Gilead.
27 but your servants will pass over, every man who is armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord orders."
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But we, every one of us fully armed, will cross the river to fight for God, just as our master has said."
28 So Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the people of Israel.
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So Moses issued orders for them to Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the ancestral tribes of the People of Israel.
29 And Moses said to them, "If the people of Gad and the people of Reuben, every man who is armed to battle before the LORD, will pass with you over the Jordan and the land shall be subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession.
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Moses said, "If the families of Gad and Reuben cross the Jordan River with you and before God, all armed and ready to fight, then after the land is secure, you may give them the land of Gilead as their inheritance.
30 However, if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan."
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But if they don't cross over with you, they'll have to settle up with you in Canaan."
31 And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben answered, "What the LORD has said to your servants, we will do.
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The families of Gad and Reuben responded: "We will do what God has said.
32 We will pass over armed before the LORD into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan."
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We will cross the Jordan before God, ready and willing to fight. But the land we inherit will be here, to the east of the Jordan."
33 And Moses gave to them, to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben and to the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land and its cities with their territories, the cities of the land throughout the country.
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Moses gave the families of Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan - the land, its towns, and all the territories connected with them - the works.
34 And the people of Gad built Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,
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The Gadites rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,
35 Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,
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Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,
36 Beth-nimrah and Beth-haran, fortified cities, and folds for sheep.
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Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran as fortified cities; they also built corrals for their animals.
37 And the people of Reuben built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,
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The Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, and Kiriathaim,
38 Nebo, and Baal-meon (their names were changed), and Sibmah. And they gave other names to the cities that they built.
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also Nebo and Baal Meon and Sibmah. They renamed the cities that they rebuilt.
39 And the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and captured it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it.
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The family of Makir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites who lived there.
40 And Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he settled in it.
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Moses then gave Gilead to the Makirites, the descendants of Manasseh. They moved in and settled there.
41 And Jair the son of Manasseh went and captured their villages, and called them Havvoth-jair.
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Jair, another son of Manasseh, captured some villages and named them Havvoth Jair (Jair's Tent-Camps).
42 And Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages, and called it Nobah, after his own name.
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Nobah captured Kenath and its surrounding camps. He renamed it after himself, Nobah.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.